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Penn State 2025-26 Preview: Can Rhoades Keep Them Competitive?

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports | By Kaleb Kraus | Last updated Oct 1, 2025 8:46 AM ET

The Mike Rhoades era for Penn State basketball thus far has been hit or miss. The Nittany Lions haven’t reached the postseason, but they have won 16 games in each of the last two seasons. Penn State has proven to be a tough out in the Big Ten. That’s the biggest question for the Nittany Lions coming into the 2025-26 season. Ace Baldwin Jr proved to be a very reliable point guard, but he graduated. Not to mention Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who heard his name in the NBA Draft.

Penn State basketball in 2025-26 will see plenty of new faces, and the question remains. Can Coach Rhoades keep the Nittany Lions competitive?

Penn State 2025-26 Preview: Can Rhoades Keep Them Competitive?

Roster Make-Up

The best way to quickly address needs on your roster is the transfer portal, and Penn State did just that. The Nittany Lions’ biggest grab was Josh Reed from Cincinnati. He may have only averaged 4.8 points per game, but he started nine of the Bearcats’ final 10 games, and even had a career-high performance of 19 points in the Big 12 Tournament against Oklahoma State. Penn State basketball found a gem from the portal in Niederhauser last year from Northern Illinois. They once again went to a smaller school to bring in size for the 2025-26 season, adding Sasa Ciani (UIC). Ciani, who hails from Slovenia, averaged just under 10 points and was the Flames’ leading rebounder at 7.6 boards per game.

Pairing those transfers with returners such as Freddie Dilione V and Dominick Stewart makes for a solid group of returners, as the rest of the Penn State roster is quite young. They bring in a class of eight freshmen. Three come from overseas, as that has been the big trend, especially in the Big Ten.

Tibor Mirtic (Slovenia) and Ivan Juric (Croatia) give the Nittany Lions even more depth in the post alongside Ciani. Melih Tunca brings a 47.5% mark from three-point land from last season, playing in his native Turkey, to Happy Valley. Mason Blackwood comes in as a four-star prospect and finished as the No. 108th overall recruit in the country according to 247Sports. Then there was the gem of the class, Kayden Mingo, who is the highest-rated recruit in Penn State basketball history. Mingo certainly has a chance to come right in and start right away.

Best of the Rest:

Eli Rice (RS-Sophomore)

Reggie Grodin (Freshman)

Justin Houser (Freshman)

Chris Lotito (Freshman)

Schedule Outlook

The new strategy around the country is to play high-level exhibition games, and that is no different for Penn State. The Nittany Lions will travel to Dayton to play the Flyers on October 19th. They have one other exhibition game before they open their non-conference slate on November 3rd against Fairfield.

Their home non-conference slate also features games against Navy, Harvard, Boston University, Sacred Heart, and Campbell. They will be challenged with some neutral-site contests as well, including a clash with La Salle as a part of the Basketball on Broad: Autumn Invitational in Philadelphia. They will also partake in the Hall of Fame Showcase in Connecticut against the Providence Friars on November 22nd.

The early Big Ten slate isn’t easy with a road trip to Indiana and then a home clash with defending Big Ten champs Michigan State. That leads to one more neutral site clash in December against Pittsburgh at the Giant Center in Hershey, PA.

The home draw for the rest of Penn State’s conference play is pretty nice, as they get Illinois, Michigan, UCLA, Wisconsin, Minnesota, USC, Rutgers, Iowa, and Ohio State at Bryce Jordan Center. Road trips to Purdue, Michigan, and Oregon will be very difficult.

Last Word on the Nittany Lions

Coach Mike Rhoades has gotten a lot out of his teams. In the last two seasons combined, Penn State has won 15 Big Ten games. That included wins against ranked Wisconsin and Illinois in 2023-24. Not to mention, they upset Purdue last season when the Boilermakers visited Happy Valley. Throw in a road win at #12 Wisconsin to end last season, and the Nittany Lions have been a danger to anyone they play in the Big Ten.

I could certainly see where they could hang with teams in the league at home. But the real expectation for the Nittany Lions should be right around what they have been so far in the Rhoades tenure, roughly .500 overall. If they can find some rhythm, they could surprise with some of those big-name teams visiting the Bryce Jordan Center.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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